


Heart And Soul

by Eternal Scribe (Shadowcat)



Category: Charmed
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-05
Updated: 2012-06-05
Packaged: 2017-11-06 22:51:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/424131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowcat/pseuds/Eternal%20Scribe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phoebe goes to the Wastelands to say goodbye to Cole</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heart And Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for "Witch Way Now"; I changed the way it went in canon

" _Cole, we did the best we could. We tried every way possible to make this work but it wasn't meant to be. And it wasn't because we didn't love each other, it's just love wasn't enough, so now we have to move on, okay, the both of us._ "

They stared at each other, those words echoing through both of their minds. It was Cole who broke the silence first.

"I don't believe it for a second, Phoebe. Who'd you get at the paper to write you a speech, and how much did you have to rehearse to say it with a straight face?"

Phoebe looked stricken, but didn't deny what he had said. "Cole!"

"Phoebe, I love you..."

"I know you do, and I love you, Cole. I have always loved you, and probably will always love you, but I just can't do this anymore. Every time it looks like things are going to settle down and leave us be, something else happens. I had to _kill_ you this time because the Source had taken you over and was going to kill my sisters." She swallowed, her voice starting to crack. "I lost our baby because the Seer wanted to be the next Source." She shook her head, digging her nails into her palms, trying to make herself say the words that she wasn't sure she wanted to say. "It's too much, Cole. It's just too much. I'm tired of fighting and losing people. Prue, you, the baby... I can't do it any longer. It's why I agree with Piper to let the Angel of Destiny take our powers and leave us as normal humans again."

He just watched her in silence for several minutes. "So what you're saying is that you're not willing to take the risks any longer and that you are just going to leave me here."

Phoebe felt a pang of guilt and the sadness showed on her face. "If I could get you out of here or find a way to give you some peace, you know I would." She swallowed, looking down for a long moment before looking back at him. "Every time something evil or bad happens with us, it kills a little bit more of me, Cole. No matter what we try to do to make things work for us, there are just too many things working against us." She swallowed. "We're on two different sides in a world we can't control." She bit the inside of her cheek before speaking again. "We're just not meant to be, no matter how much that we wish it was different. We can't keep fighting... against everything that says we shouldn't be together."

"It never seemed to matter to you before... when you pretended to vanquish me upon first learning I was a demon... lying to your sisters." Phoebe flinched. "Remember everything we did together, how we were so much stronger when we were together and nothing could beat us."

"But we _were_ beat, Cole," Phoebe protested in a shaking voice. "The Source beat us. The Seer beat us."

"But nothing else has ever managed to beat us -- or keep us down, Phoebe. Our love makes us strong. The bond between us makes us strong." He moved closer to her, relieved when she didn't back away. "I know you're scared, love. I know you're hurting. There is one thing you need to remember, though. I love you. Everything that happened with me wasn't me, it was The Source. Two different entities fighting for control in the same body. But my soul - you - kept him from keeping the upper hand."

"I feel like we're in the middle of some supernatural reenactment of Romeo and Juliet and I don't want our ending to be as tragic as theirs," she said shaking her head.

"Didn't they both end up dead?"

"Yes. They both ended up dead. Their families didn't want them together because they were enemies, but Romeo and Juliet were determined to be together. People they cared about died, and then in the end, they killed themselves."

"We haven't killed ourselves, Phoebe."

"But you're still dead."

"But you're not." He lifted a hand to place against her cheek. "And, there's still a chance for me. I'm still here, holding on. I'm not completely lost." He looked down into her face. " _We're_ not lost, sweetheart."

"Cole..."

"Look me in the eye, Phoebe. Look me in the eye and tell me that you don't want me, that you don't want to someday have that family that we have talked about."

"It's too late..."

"That's not what I asked."

"I can't do this any more," she shook her head. "It hurts too much to keep... to keep..."

"To keep being in love? No one ever said love was going to always be easy, sweetheart. Nothing worth fighting for is -- and we _are_ worth fighting for." He ran his fingers over her cheek. "I believe in us, Phoebe, even if you're too scared to believe right now."

Phoebe was trembling as he touched her, and when she looked at him, her eyes were brimming with tears. "Cole..."

"Soul mates, remember, love? You strengthen my soul... make the man stronger than the demon." He continued to gently stroke her face as his other hand reached for hers, then tugged her gently to him. When she was close enough, he wrapped his arm around her, bring her against his chest and resting his chin on her head. "Life isn't easy, sweetheart, so why do we keep thinking that love and relationships should be easy -- especially ours? We've crossed boundary lines to be together, Phoebe. Our hearts and our souls know we belong together."

Phoebe found herself wrapping her arms around him and just holding onto him for all she was worth. "I can't... I don't think I can go through losing you again, Cole."

"Then we find a way to make sure you don't," he said softly. "We be strong together. We focus on fighting the bad that comes along and pay more attention to the good that is within the bond we have. We don't get fooled again." He pulled back to tilt her face up to look into his eyes. "You showed me that there was good in the world, Phoebe. You showed me how to be more man than demon and what I could accomplish fighting with you instead of against you."

"But the Source... the Seer... Dane?"

"Are you really going to let what they did and the fear of coming back undo all of the good we have done since we have been together? Are you really willing to let them win?"

"But we're giving up our powers."

"That is something you must not do, sweetheart. Your powers are a part of you... of each of you. The world needs the Charmed Ones... as much as I need you, maybe more."

"The Angel of Destiny said we had earned this offer because we had tilted the balance in Good's favor by vanquishing the Source."

"Oh love... that's one of the problems with angels and elders and those who claim to be the progenitors over the world of good. Some kind of powerful evil will always exist and those that fight for good will always be needed." Cole shook his head. "Any kind of evil can always come back -- as you were forced to witness with the Source. You cannot give up your powers." He gave her a serious look. "Without your powers, you and your sisters will be vulnerable. Just because you give them up doesn't mean that demons will stop coming after you. After all, there is always the chance that you would retrieve your powers again -- or your descendants would have the powers of the Charmed Ones. You may not be witches for a time if you give up your powers, but you wouldn't be safe."

Phoebe was quiet for a long moment. "Paige is against us giving up our powers because she says we have a responsibility."

"I cannot believe I am saying this, but I agree with her."

Phoebe looked up at him and then she reached to lay her hand against his face. "I don't know how things are going to go from here, Cole, but I do know that I love you and that losing you was one of the most painful things I have ever had to deal with and the thought of not having you with me tears me apart."

He gave her a serious look. "So..?"

"So, I'm willing to try again..."

Cole gave her a smile and then bent his head to bring his lips down to claim hers in a hungry kiss. For several long moments, he was lost in the sensation of kissing Phoebe again, and feeling her responding to him. Reluctantly, he broke the kiss and looked down into her eyes.

"We'll make this work, sweetheart," he said with determination in his voice. "We'll make this work and nothing will be able to hurt us again."

Phoebe looked at him and then nodded. "I believe in you, baby. I believe in us." She swallowed. "We find a way to get you out of here, deal with the other problem my sisters and I have, and then we'll go from there. We'll start trying to make a life for ourselves again." She bit her lip. "But we have to find some other way to get you out of here besides the grimoire. I can't use dark magic like that again, Cole." Her eyes were pleading with him. "It kills part of me to use stuff like that -- makes me worry about my propensity for turning evil."

He shook his head. "There's not an evil bone in your body, baby. You're a good person and a good witch." He stroked her face. "We'll find another way. If you don't want to touch the grimoire, you won't have to. We'll find another way, I promise." He pulled her close to him again. "I love you, Phoebe. We can make this work. I know we can."


End file.
